


the feast of high winter

by thisisthefamilybusiness



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Alexi Mayhew Survives, Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, Family, Family Fluff, Ficlet, Gen, Grandpa Corvo, Holidays, Low Chaos (Dishonored), Post-Dishonored 2 (Video Game), Woman Wyman (Dishonored)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 17:11:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13128030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisisthefamilybusiness/pseuds/thisisthefamilybusiness
Summary: Tiny cold feet prod into Corvo’s back with a giggle, and he sighs, glad at least that he’d already been awake so he didn’t instinctively throw off his (very small) attacker and wrestle them to the floor. “Wake up, Corvo!” Jess shouts, and shoves her cold little hands down the collar of Corvo’s nightshirt. “It’s feast day!”





	the feast of high winter

**Author's Note:**

> A quick bit of fluff for the holiday, set in an alternate universe (by which I mean everything is exactly the same, but Alexi Mayhew survives, because she deserved better).

Tiny cold feet prod into Corvo’s back with a giggle, and he sighs, glad at least that he’d already been awake so he didn’t instinctively throw off his (very small) attacker and wrestle them to the floor. “Wake up, Corvo!” Jess shouts, and shoves her cold little hands down the collar of Corvo’s nightshirt. “It’s feast day!”

Corvo rolls over, grabs her under the shoulders and tosses her gently onto the empty side of the bed. “Should you be out of bed, Your Highness?” Corvo growls playfully.

Jess shakes her head, smiling, tugging at the frilled collar of her flannel nightgown as she sits up. “I snuck past Governess and baby Ivo _very_ quietly,” she whispers. “Baby Ivo didn’t even wake up a little bit.”

“Did you, really?” Corvo rolls out of bed with a quiet grunt—the years have not been kind to his joints, and the cold doesn’t help any. He scoops Jess up off the bed, carrying her on his hip. “I’m sure your mother would not be very happy to find you out of your room, now, would she?”

“I’m five now! I’m old enough to get out of bed by myself!” Jess protests.

Corvo hums placatingly, opening the door to his rooms with one-hand. “Of course, Your Highness.” He grins, giving a small nod to the guardsman at the end of the hall. “Though since you’re out and awake now, I suppose we should go find your mother, shouldn’t we? Give her and your mama a nice morning wake-up.”

Jess nods hard, curls bouncing.

“If I set you down, we have to be sneaky, alright? As quietly as we can.” Corvo waits until the girl nods again to set her down, dropping into a squat beside her as his knees creaked. “Alright, let’s go.”

* * *

Corvo gives Alexi a knowing nod, and the Lady Protector dutifully turns around, pretending to be distracted by a painting hanging across the hall so Jess and Corvo can dart into the doorway of Emily’s bedroom, Jess giggling the whole while.

Inside, Emily and Wyman are sound asleep, tangled together—normally by this hour of the morning, Emily would be awake and preparing for her morning briefings, but it’s the Feast of High Winter, and there will be no court or meetings held today. 

At least, they’re asleep until Jess leaps onto their bed with a happy shout, bouncing in excitement. “It’s feast day! Mama, wake up! It’s feast day! Come on!” She puts her little hands over Emily's shoulder and shakes her gently.

Emily rouses first, laughing as she sits up and tugs Jess into her lap. “Well, how did you get in here?” she asks teasingly, pressing a kiss to her daughter’s forehead.

Jess shyly glances up at Corvo, reclining in the doorway. “Corvo helped me! We were sneaky!”

“Very sneaky,” Corvo adds.

Wyman yawns and flops upright, patting Jess on the head once. “Good morning, princess,” she mumbles, leaning over to peck Jess on the cheek with a sleepy smile. “And you too, Corvo.”

“Is it time for the feast?” Jess squirms impatiently, fidgeting in Emily’s lap. “For presents?” 

Emily laughs. “We have to get ready for the feast first, don’t we?” she asks. “Weren’t you excited to wear your new dress?”

“Oh!” Jess’s face lights up and she claps her little hands together.

“And—” Wyman leans closer, fingertip hovering over Jess’s nose. “—if you are good all day, and you ask your Mama very nicely, I heard a rumor that you might get to borrow a crown to wear to service at the Abbey tonight.” Wyman presses her fingertip to her daughter's nose, and the girl giggles, squirming away as Wyman tickles her sides.

"Mama, save me!" Jess laughs, playfully rolling away from Wyman's grasp.

"Oh no, Jess, I think you're on your own with Mummy on this one." Emily tries to bite back a grin, staring up at Corvo with the same smile she'd given him when they'd played hide-and-seek when she was a girl.

Corvo huffs a sigh as he folds his arms over his chest. Overly indulgent, almost overwhelmingly sentimental—but that was the point of the Feast of High Winter, wasn’t it? To commemorate the importance of family and community (in defense against the Outsider, of course, even though the leviathan god hadn’t been sighted in a decade), to celebrate loved ones. 

To sit and admire his family, as much as it has grown and changed in the years.

**Author's Note:**

> talk to me on [on tumblr](http://officialclaricestarling.tumblr.com)


End file.
